Fess

Fess

: "FESS is also an acronym for functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

In heraldry, a fess is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally and centrally across the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the fess, ranging from one-fifth to one-third. A fess is likely to be shown narrower if it is "uncharged", that is, if it does not have other charges placed on it, and/or if it is to be shown with charges above and below it; and shown wider if "charged".

A "mural fess" can be seen in the arms of Suzanne Elizabeth Altvater. [http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=930&ProjectElementID=3368]

A fess when "couped" ("cut off" at either end, and so not reaching the sides of the shield) can be called "humetty", but this term is very rare in the Anglophone heraldries and is most often used of the cross.

A fess "coticed" (also spelt with two ts and/or an s) is closely contained between two narrow strips (cotises), one above and one below. A very unusual exception are the arms of Joseph Frederick Laevens, with "a fess cotised on the lower edge". [http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=898&ProjectElementID=3224]

Though the "bar" is sometimes termed a "diminutive" of the fess, this is not necessarily true, as the bar may be no narrower than the fess. In the heraldries of the British Isles two fesses are not usually specified to appear on a shield together, the two fess-like charges being then termed "bars". Narrower versions of the bar are called "barrulets" (little bars). The arms of Baroness Fritchie provide an example of "three Barrulets fracted and there conjoined to a Chevronel". [http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/publications/gazette/2007-Jun.pdf]

The "fasce" in the colonial arms of Djidjelli, Algeria is blazoned as "tombant à dextre".

A fess "the middle third metamorphosed into a chevron" can be seen in the arms of the 364th Regiment of the United States Army. [http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Regt/364th%20Regiment.htm]

The fess is one of the ordinaries in heraldry, along with the chief, bend, chevron and pale. There are several other ordinaries and sub-ordinaries.

A shield party per fess or just per fess is divided into two parts by a single line which runs in the direction of a fess.

A charge placed horizontally is blazoned fesswise or fessways.Two or more charges "arranged" in a horizontal row are blazoned in fess or in bar.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fess — Fess, Fesse Fesse, n. [OF. fesse, faisse, F. fasce, fr. L. fascia band. See {Fascia}.] (Her.) A band drawn horizontally across the center of an escutcheon, and containing in breadth the third part of it; one of the nine honorable ordinaries.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fess — bezeichnet: eine Operationsmethode in der HNO Heilkunde. FESS ist das Akronym aus Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery . der Kurzname für Professor Longhair, ein US amerikanischer Musiker der Vorname von Fess Parker (1924–2010), amerikanischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • fess — [fes] v fess up to admit that you have done something wrong, although it is not very serious = ↑own up ▪ Come on, fess up! Who ate that last cookie? …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • fess — [ fes ] verb ,fess up phrasal verb intransitive INFORMAL to admit that something is true or that you have done something wrong: It s time to fess up, did you spend all that money? …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • fess up — ☆ fess up or fess up [fes ] vi. 〚aphetic for CONFESS〛 Informal to admit or acknowledge something; confess * * * …   Universalium

  • fess up — ☆ fess up or fess up [fes ] vi. [aphetic for CONFESS] Informal to admit or acknowledge something; confess …   English World dictionary

  • fess — or fesse [fes] n. [ME fesse < OFr < L fascia, a band, FASCIA] Heraldry a horizontal band forming the middle third of a shield …   English World dictionary

  • fess up — verb admit or acknowledge a wrongdoing or error the writer of the anonymous letter owned up after they identified his handwriting • Syn: ↑make a clean breast of, ↑own up • Hypernyms: ↑concede, ↑profess, ↑confess …   Useful english dictionary

  • fess — con·fess·ed·ly; con·fess·ing·ly; fess; pro·fess; pro·fess·ant; con·fess; …   English syllables

  • fess — UK [fes] / US verb Word forms fess : present tense I/you/we/they fess he/she/it fesses present participle fessing past tense fessed past participle fessed Phrasal verbs: fess up …   English dictionary

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